West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-07-08
UNION LABOR PARTY.

The Ohio State Convention ofthe
Union Labor Party in session at
Columbus adjourned on the 9th.
The following is the substance Ofthe
platform:
We regard our industrial and po-
litical situation with alarm. The
natural agencies of production and
distribution are seized by syndieates
spectators and gamblers, to whom
every productive industry in the
land is compelled to pay tribute.
Laws are enacted and administered
in the special interest of combina-
tiOns of corporations of aggregated
wealth TO the detriment of both pro-
Queer and consumer. The entire
machinery of the two dominant par
ties is manipulated by the tools of
monopoly, thus leaving the masses
of their followers powerless to re-
form existing evils.
Believing that it is the right, the
duty, of the toiling masses to cast
aside all past party differences, and
associate themselves together for
the purpose of securing to the toll
inc producers the full fruits of their
toll and make industrial worth the
true standard of greatness, we, there
fore, endorse the platform of the
Party promulgated at Cincinnati,
February %, 1887.
And we demand that the fee sys-
TEN be abolished and that official
salaries shall be commensurate with
services performed; that the laws
against the employment OF bribery,
force, or intimidation to secure nom
nations or elections to public office,
be rigidly enforced and that free
drinks or lunch shall be declared
bribery by statute; that the charters
of all corporations which have VIC
lated the law under which they were
granted be revoked; that all mort
cages on real estate be taxed, and
q corresponding exemption of the
mOrtgagor; that all school books
used in the common schools be
printed by the State and furnished
at cost; that all banks shall be re
quired to give security to the State
to the average amount Of their do
posts; that speculation in the nee
esSaries of life, "cOrnering the
market and dealing in margins
and futures are ruinOuS 10 legltI-
mate business and highly demOrall-
ling. and we denource the courts of
Ohio for failing to enforce the laws
declaring such acts criminal ofenses
that all discrimination by employ
ers against lawful associations of
employees to secure their rights vi
olate the constitutional right OF the
citizen and shall be declared ielo-
ny; that the ratio Of assessing rail
road corporations be based upon the
capitalization as shown on the
books of the State Railroad Com
missioner, and that the assessment
shall be the same as on other prop
erty in proportion to capitalization,
or estimated Saleable value, and
that the same principle apply to
banks aud all other business corpo-
ratiOns.
1t is very unfortunate that the la
Dor party does not call into its ser
vice persons who are prepared to
deal iHtelligently with the evils that
afllict the State. To those who I'M
derstand the subject, it is extremely
foolish to "denOunce the Courts. .
The remedy is to elect to the Legls-
lature men who will change the
statutes. A Court enforces the law;
il cannot make law. Again. 1t is
the veriest nonsense in the world to
propose to exempt the mOrtgagor
and to tax the MORTGAGE. Both
Should be taxed according to the
property and the value of theprOperty
they respectively own. 1t is equal
" absurd to increase the amount OF
tax a railroad is required to pay
unlesa the amount, which a railroad
may take frsm the public, is limited.
The person who drafted the platform
of the Labor party is dealing with
subjects he does not understand. If
he had read the DEMOCRAT for the
pas two years, he could have escap-
ed 4 good deal of toOlishness.
a RRl . n
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